Description:

Charles A. Lindbergh
[New York, NY], June 17, 1931
Charles A. Lindbergh TLS Re: 1931 Proposed "Great Circle Route" From NY To Tokyo
TLS

A 1p typed letter signed by American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh (1902-1974) as "C.A. Lindbergh at center right. June 17, 1931. [New York, New York.] On watermarked paper with "Charles A. Lindbergh / 25 Broadway / New York City" letterhead. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds, the rightmost vertical one transecting Lindbergh's signature. A few isolated staple holes at upper and lower left, else near fine. 8.5" x 11." Provenance: Ex-Shorey's Bookstore, 1967.

Lindbergh wrote this letter to Judge King Dykeman (1874-1931) of Seattle, Washington, regarding his upcoming flight between New York and Tokyo, soon-to-be dubbed the "Great Circle Route." Lindbergh had been tasked by his employer, Pan-American Airlines, to determine the best flying route between the two places for future commercial flights. Lindbergh's letter to Dykeman declined the latter's invitation to start the trip from Seattle instead of New York.

In part:

"Thank you very much for your hospitable invitation to start from Seattle. I sincerely appreciate your consideration in offering me use of the facilities of the Chamber.

I regret very much that the route we have planned to follow will not take us through Seattle…"

Lindbergh, along with his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, would travel between New York and Tokyo over the course of one month, beginning in Long Island on July 27, 1931, and arriving in Tokyo on August 26, 1931, after a journey of over 7,000 miles. The Lindberghs flew in an arc from New York, past Maine and towards the Hudson Bay, eventually rounding the Northwest Territories and Alaska before tracing south towards the Bering Sea, Siberia, and Asia. The couple flew in a striking black and red Lockheed Sirius plane outfitted with pontoons. Anne Morrow Lindbergh later recounted some of the details of their journey in her best-selling memoir, "North to the Orient" (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1935).

Judge King Dykeman served as the president of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. A Canadian-born orphan, he had a rag-to-riches story, working on steamships to support his tuition at the University of Washington. After obtaining his law degree, he later sat on the Superior Court of King County and had a special interest in the juvenile justice system. He died just three months after extending this invitation to the Lindberghs, in September 1931.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"
  • Medium: TLS

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